Sex, Blood, Love, Revenge
by BigBadWolfyBoy
Summary: Judas has risen once more and taken revenge upon Mary and Simon. Now it's up to their daughter, Mira, and a trusted friend of her father's, Russel Harker, to defeat him once again.Dracula 2000. Please R&R comments much appreciated. No Flames. !On Hold!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **This is based upon an RP and co-written by my RP partner. We have no ownership, save over our own characters. Please R&R – Comments truly appreciated. No Flames!!! First fanfic. Takes place many years after Dracula 2000. Enjoy!

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_It was a horror that Russel couldn't – no, not couldn't – flat out refused to comprehend. He felt as though he were in some horrible nightmare, lost and alone in a world, which he was a stranger to. Lost and alone, just as he had been for the first five years of his life, wandering the streets, begging for food or settling for a meal from the garbage. _

_Only the street he wandered was dimly lit, in his hand a cane with a silver top. Blue eyes looked down to his apparel – black gloves, pinstriped black pants, a vest of a burgundy color with a chain hanging out one vest pocket – the chain of a pocket watch he guessed – and a black tailcoat. These aren't mine, he thought, They resemble something someone in the late 1800's or early 1900's would wear. _

"_Are you lost, sir?" a voice asked him from the shadows._

_Turning on a heel to his sudden visitor, Russel studied the man before him. Tall, with curly dark brown hair, eyes that seemed to penetrate to the depths of one's very soul, the dim light made his facial features hard to make out, but the air about him…it gave him a bad feeling. _

"_No, just taking the long way home," he replied, but his voice was tainted with an English accent. What's going on here? Is this a dream or reality? For the life of him Russel couldn't decide at that moment._

_The man chuckled. "I have heard that doing such a thing is dangerous nowadays, what with those mysterious deaths…"_

"_I assure you, sir, I am capable of making my way home safely." His hand gripped the cane a bit tighter. "If you'll excuse me…" He turned back in the direction he'd been headed before. The man had somehow managed to soundlessly move so that he stood in front of him. "What is it that you want?"_

_A cruel smile crossed his lips. "Why, Mr…."_

"Harker! Harker, wake up man!" Peter said, shaking his partner who'd fallen asleep on the table in the backroom. "Harker!"

Waking with a bit of a start, Russel looked around the room, ran his hands over his face, and then let out a long sigh. "Another dream." _That one keeps coming more and more, yet I'm never able to finish it._

"Must've been one helluva dream because I've been trying to get your ass up for the past five minutes." Peter moved to sit across from his friend. "Mr. Shepherd finds out that you've been sleeping on the job, it won't be pretty."

Russel chuckled. "I don't doubt that, but he wouldn't fire me. I'd be reprimanded like a bad puppy then sent back out to do my job. Like always."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Figures. Just because he treats you like the son he's never had you get to slack off on the job while the rest of us don't get that luxury. And I thought he was an equal opportunity employer."

"He is," Russel said and stood. "C'mon, our shift is about to begin and I'm sure Adam and Luke can't wait to get out of here and go to a pub."

"Can't blame 'em. This place kind of gives me the creeps. I mean, Mary and Simon have to be dealing in more than antiques to…"

"They aren't doing anything illegal, Peter," Russel interjected defensively. Besides, they trusted him and they'd tell him if they were...wouldn't they?

His colleague snorted. "Yeah, and I'm really dating Jessica Alba."

* * *

The crypt that had once been decimated all those years ago had been returned to the way it had been when Abraham Van Helsing had run Carfax Abbey. Although, Mary and Simon had gone to great lengths to put up reinforced steel, more booby traps, and a much higher and harder to crack security system.

The coffin that held what was left of Judas's remains after he burned in the sunlight the day after Mardi Gras was placed where it had been. This time no leaches were attached. There was no need for Mary or Simon to live centuries – not when they had a daughter who they told everything too. She was far from Carfax now attending school, far away meant safe…if only for a little while.

Little did they know that in those years that he had been locked away in a duplicate of the first coffin, his personal prison, organs began to reform thanks to the blood of the architects who would clumsily drop tools or cause injury to themselves. Memories returned, those of the past when he walked beside Christ himself and those of that fateful night Mary Van Helsing along with that Simon had seen to, what they believed, was his final demise. Betrayal and Mary went hand in hand now. Nevermind the fact that she had his blood in her veins. That was a fact he hardly cared about now.

If he could've made the noise, a cruel chuckle would've escaped him. How naïve they were in thinking they could get rid of him so easily. They would pay. He would not leave one drop of blood left in their bodies once he was fully reanimated. They couldn't keep their dark secret locked away forever. Oh no, he would have his revenge.

_When the right time presents itself I will rise, _he thought. _Timing is everything._

* * *

The shift seemed to fly by and soon Russel found himself out of his "rent-a-cop" uniform and into his regular clothes. A note had been left on his locker that Simon – the man that had come to be like a father to him after his years of working for him – wished to speak with him. He'd quickly made his way up the stairs to where Mary and Simon shared her father's office then knocked on the door lightly.

"Come in," came Simon's voice.

Russel opened the door, just poking his head in. "Got your note. What do you want to talk with me about?"

"Come into the room all the way and I'll tell you, Russ." The two men smiled and Russel soon sat across from Simon. Mary sat near the fire reading something and only acknowledged Russel's presence with a quick glance up and a small smile before returning to her work.

"What can I do for you Simon?" he asked, a leg crossing as he watched his mentor.

"Russel, you know of our daughter, Mira." At Russel's nod he continued. "I want you to promise me something."

_I don't have a great feeling about this._ He cleared his throat. "What's that?"

"That you'll protect her when the time comes. You've been an excellent guard to us my boy, but our daughter will need you more."

Brows furrowed in confusion. "You make it sound as though something terrible is going to happen, Simon."

Their gazes met, Simon's the more serious. "It just helps to be prepared. Do you promise?"

Russel nodded. "It's the least I can do after all you've done for me."

"Good" He smiled. "Now go on, you've worked well for us today despite that catnap in the backroom."

"How'd you know about that?"

Simon smirked. "I know all."

As Russel's hand came to rest on the door handle, he looked back to Simon. "Simon, everything is all right...I mean, if you knew something was up, you wouldn't hesitate to tell me, would you?" It was a question he needed answered.

Simon was silent for a moment, studying Russel. "Do you trust me, Russel?"

Russel nodded. "Of course."

"Then that's all you need to know."

Without asking any more questions, Russel did as he was told and exited the room. Once he had left, Mary looked over to her husband, watching him closely. "Don't you think we should tell him a bit more?"

Simon sighed. "He wouldn't believe us even if we did, Mary. Russel, he's one who needs to see things in order to believe them. Anyway, I've given him his job. It's up to Mira to confide in him."


	2. First Impressions

**Disclaimer:** We still don't own anything but our own characters. Please R&R and let us know how we're doing. It'd mean a lot to the both of us. :-)

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She sat outside on a bench that was in the small park in front of the school. A place she had told she would meet him there. She sighed. She wore black pants that were soft, but a bit thicker than usual pants because it was slightly chilly outside. A dark blue shirt clung to her torso, long sleeves to cover her knuckles, but they fit to her body. The shirt hung a bit low, just to reveal her neckline and expose a bit of her cleavage.

Her hair was a dark brown, which rested just a bit past her shoulders; soft and silky it seemed to shine in the light. Sparkling blue eyes glanced around her, she was getting impatient, but that was a usual thing for her. She'd rather get angry than sad, but it was obvious that though her hair was hiding her face, there were old tearstains against her cheeks and her eyes stayed watered. She bit her lower lip, leaned forward placing her elbows on her knees and hid her face in her hands. A black duffel bag sat next to her.

Russel had dreaded this day, even though he had never expected it to be in his lifetime. He'd found them, heard the shots go off from guns that he didn't know were even up in their quarters at Carfax, but by the time he'd gotten there all that had surrounded the bodies of Simon and Mary was mist.

A scream from the downstairs caught his ears, but he couldn't leave the room, eyes looking for any sign that the people who had taken him in and turned him into the good man he was today were alive. The mist had disappeared when the cries of his colleague had came and though he had given it no thought at the time, he did find it a bit too eerie now. Simon had mentioned to him many times in the weeks before he was killed that should something happen to himself or to Mary that he was to bring their daughter home.

He'd never met her, this Mira Van Helsing. With a deep sigh he pulled into the gates of her school, after getting past the guards, and then cleared his throat, pushing the lump down as the car came to a halt in front of Mira. Russel then moved from his place in the driver's seat and came to stand in front of her

"Mira Van Helsing..." He was American, no English accent in his tone. Unlike her, he hadn't grown up in England. Oh no, Russel had spent a good portion of his time being passed around from foster to home to foster home and had a notorious Juvenile record for being a runaway, among other things. By the time he'd hit high school, he'd been recruited and off to England he had gone. Russel had also been orphaned and left on the steps of a church and a note that had been there with him was the only thing that let him know his own name.

She blinked a few times behind her hands. Then slowly she wiped away at her face before looking up. Her cheeks were a soft reddish color, but from crying her eyes seemed brighter. She watched him for a moment. She'd been taught a lot by her parents. Her parents who were gone now. She bit her lower lip before she slowly stood. She'd never seen him before; she only knew his name, not his face.

"Russel Harker?" She made it a question, although it would be easy for someone else to just say yes, to that. Her voice was soft. The accent wasn't extremely thick, but it was always there and seemed to make her words sound sweet. "You are Russel right?"

"Yes, I'm Russel." He said and tried to offer a small smile, which he failed at. It seemed as though he was just as distraught as her. "I've come to take you back to Carfax, as your..." He swallowed and his gaze dropped to the ground. "...as your parents wished."

Russel was a handsome man, standing at six-foot and a half inches, one who had a natural allure to him. But as his eyes looked over Mira for the first time, well, he couldn't help but notice how attractive she was. He was hardly wearing anything that would peg him to be some sort of security guard or bodyguard. He wore blue jeans, a black turtleneck sweater, and a leather jacket over it. He had a good amount of facial hair, which made him look a bit scruffy yet also added to his attractiveness.

She leaned down a bit and picked up her pack. Trying so hard to pull her emotions into herself. Pushing for anger instead of sadness. She forced the anger, forced herself to be mad. And it came out horribly wrong.

"It's their own fault their dead." She moved past him to the car. He could have been a serial killer and at that moment she wasn't paying attention. She crossed her arms over her chest then, almost in a child-like pout.

Russel's brows furrowed at her words. He had no idea who'd want to harm her parents, having been kept in the dark about the real reason Carfax made such a large amount of money. He did, however, speak his mind.

"You'd best change that attitude. No one asks to die the way they did." He said, anger in his tone and a hint of disappointment at how she reacted. He then opened her car door. "C'mon, we've got a bit of a long drive ahead of us..."

She turned to him. Tears were gently running down her cheeks, but her eyes narrowed. She had no idea how they died, but she did blame them. Oh yes, she still regretted it. She didn't want them to die, but...in their business...why didn't they just get away?

She watched his eyes a moment before she spoke softly her voice a little bit choked. "It's their fault. They knew what they were in to. Why do you think I was so far away?" Then she turned and slipped into the car keeping her duffel bag in her lap.

He leaned down, "I don't know. Perhaps you can inform me on our journey back to Carfax. Your father confided in me, but not about much personal business. Save for you these past weeks..." He said then shut her door and came back around to the driver's side, got in, and soon they were driving back to Carfax. The silence in the car seemed to be deafening.

* * *

Eventually she pushed the duffel bag into the back seat. But for a while she just sat there staring out the window. Watching the scenery, watching the memories of her parents pass behind her eyes before she broke the silence that had fallen between them and whispered, "How did they die?" A slender brow rose as she turned to face him.

With a sigh, Russel began to tell the tale of that horrible night. "My partner and I were in the back, checking a security tape," He began then shifted in the seat slightly. "I heard gunshots go off upstairs...I don't think I've ever moved so fast in my life...when I got up there, the door to their study seemed to be stone solid, it wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pushed or kicked...then there was silence, whatever had kept the door from moving was gone and I got in." He glanced over to her. "They were lying on the ground, blood everywhere...Coroner said they were drained dry..." His eyes turned back to the road. "I'm the only one who made it out of Carfax alive that night..." He mumbled. "I mean, aside from whoever could do such a thing..."

"So he's back." She said, voice only loud enough for her own ears before she sighed. Her parents tried to keep her away because of this. But now He was back and they were dead and whom did she have? No one. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back before sighing gently. "Great. I shouldn't have gone to college. They are dead...they sent me away to protect me...and now what good does it do me? Nothing can protect me now." She shook her head.

Russel looked over to her. "I will. It was a promise your father made me make a few months ago. Looking back seems as though he knew his fate was coming or something." A deep sigh escaped him. "Although, I'm not exactly sure what I'll be protecting you from..."

She smirked shaking her head slowly, "You can't protect me. If they died, then nothing can protect me." She bit her lower lip before she glanced away once more looking out the window. "You don't want to know. It doesn't matter. After the funeral, after the business mess, I'll run."

"I owe your father quite a bit, so where you go I go," He said matter of factly. In a way he was a lot like Simon and he knew if she'd only take a moment to look at him, she'd see that he was serious in his words and cared for her parents a great deal.

She did, but thats not all she saw. She looked him over. Watching the fall of his jaw line, the curve of his chin. The look in his eyes, his lips...all the way to his hands that gripped the steering wheel. She felt ashamed that she was checking him out so she looked away once more. _Get a hold of yourself girl. There's no time to be thinking about that._ Her attitude showed itself once more, "You wont last."

"You'd be surprised. If it weren't for your father I'd be in jail or dead," Russel said, a free hand moved to rub under his chin. "He turned me around. Your parents...well, they were kind enough to treat me as though I was part of the family."

"Trust me. You don't want to be a part of this family." She looked to him, "You have no idea of our history. And none of its pretty or even heroic." She sighed, "Russel, I'm sorry, but because of my father you just may end up dead."

"Your father told me you wouldn't understand." Russel replied, his blue eyes meeting her own as he came to a stop at a roundabout. "It's not about me. It's about you, Mira. I made a vow to your father and by God if it means giving my life to do right by him and keep you safe then so be it." He watched her intently. "I've never run from a fight in my life and I'm not going to start now. And as for your history...perhaps once we've arrived at Carfax Abbey you can tell me of it, even if it isn't 'pretty or even heroic'." Russel had made his position clear to her - he wasn't leaving her to face this thing alone.

She watched him, her eyes searching his as his words soaked into her heart. She licked her lips gently for a moment before she narrowed her eyes. Though she didn't look happy she had a growing respect for him and that wanted her to not want him to protect her even more.

"When you are up against something that can live a thousand lives off of a drop of blood, Russel, I hope your mind changes. For your sake, and mine."

Russel's answer to her statment was a shrug and silence fell once again between them, but it was a bit more comfortable than the one before as they continued on their way to Carfax.


	3. Homecoming

**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own anything but our original characters.

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As they made their way into London, Russel had begun to steal glances at Mira, who had gone back to simply staring out the window, lost in her own thoughts. The glances were done more out of curiosity on his part for she had him a bit puzzled. Though it was obvious that she had in fact loved her parents and had grieved over them, the anger that she showed, the blame she put upon him, well, it certainly wouldn't have been the way he would've reacted had it been his parents. _If I knew my parents_, he thought as he drove into the parking garage under Carfax. As he turned off the engine, he let out a sigh and looked to her once more.

"So, where do you wish to start? The Abbey or the offices?"

She looked at him, then from her pocket she pulled a hair tie and slowly pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "You should know where. Show me exactly where you found their bodies." It was going to be hard for her, but for that second being here, she had to check something.

He gave an affirmative nod then moved out of the car and came around to open her door for her. "For security reasons I'm the only one whose keycards work, which is quite strange seeing how all the locking devices seemed to go into an automatic code change," He said as they took the escalator upwards. Soon both stood on the stoop of Carfax.

"That's because they knew what was going to eventually happen." She sighed. "They always had a back up plan." She shook her head gently before looking over to him, then back to the doors. "It was their job to keep the world safe..."

He took in her words and things began to add up – the vow Simon made him make, Mary's obsessive studying and journaling, and the secrecy of what exactly was in the Abbey. So Simon had lied… _If he lied then it was for a good reason,_ he reassured himself. Russel slipped his keycard through the device outside and the door opened. "Ladies first..." He said, watching her.

She bit her lower lip, reaching up to her neck. She use to wear a necklace, yet it wasn't there anymore. She sighed gently before she bit her lower lip and moved in slowly. _Home sweet home._ Mira scoffed inwardly. _Yeah right._ This had never felt like a real home. With the knowledge her parents had passed down to her, Mira had always viewed this place as a border, a place where fiction become reality and an impending destiny or doom awaited her.

Slender digits slid over the familiar wooden banister as she and Russel made their way upstairs. His presence was a hard one to ignore. She knew there was more to him than he had told her. There must've been if her father had been willing to bring him into this and make him swear to protect her.

As they stood outside her parent's office, which was still the way as it had been when he'd found them, he placed a hand on her arm gently. "Are you sure you want to start here?"

She looked at him for a moment, for some reason she had the urge to not cry around him, to try and hide that all, to be tough. "Yes, I have to." She gave a soft nod then before looking to the office doors.

"All right..." He opened the doors and looked around the room. It was obvious a struggle had occurred. Then again he had never doubted that should something go wrong that Mary and Simon would go down without a fight. Blood still stained the wooden floor and carpets, broken furniture littered the room. "Despite my insistence the police took the weapons that your parents had used to defend themselves..." He ran a hand through his hair. "I've filed for them to be returned as soon as possible or the P.D. will be facing a lawyer with a veracious appetite for lawsuits."

She looked to him for a second before she moved away and towards the bloodstains. She knelt, running her fingers gently over it for a moment. Her hands were shaking gently before she bit her lower lip and just began looking around, searching for any evidence of who rather, what did this. She didn't want to believe it.

He stepped inside with her then looked to the doors, which had so easily opened this night. He let out a deep sigh before shaking his head. "I swear it was impossible that night to get to them...I tried to get to them, but... "He let the sentence trail off and another sigh left him. Russel couldn't help it; he felt that because of his failure to get to them, he was partially responsible for their deaths.

But as her hand ran over a particular bloodstain, she'd feel a jolt of energy and see _Him_ kneeling before her, a smirk on his lips, and then within the blink of an eye it'd be over. Her body went rigid. Her eyes went wide, then narrowed. Anger poured through her, biting her lower lip for a moment before she sighed and her body began shaking slightly.

Once the anger began to leave her, the fear set in but oddly her body steadied momentarily and her voice stayed calm. "It was because _He_ wouldn't let you. No one was coming in unless _He_ wanted it." She closed her eyes, visibly shaking now.

He looked over to her, then moved over to her, kneeling beside her, his hand coming to rest over hers. "Mira, you're trembling..." He said, his voice gentle yet she would be able to hear the concern. "What do you need from me? To make this a bit easier on you..."

Normally he would have knocked his hand away, but for now she needed something. Her parents were gone and she had no one now. She shook her head slowly. "There is nothing you can do."

**"**I know how alone you must feel, Mira. But you're not. I cared for your parents deeply. We've both lost them to this...tragedy."

She shook her head then stood up straight, turning towards him. "We need to go below." She was trying to pretend she hadn't wanted to cry – her cheeks were dry for now but once she was alone things would change.

He stood then nodded and down to the vault they went. He went over to the computer, entered in the code to lift the gate, and then looked over to her. "I can't get in there. But you can. Another Plan B by your parents, I assume."

"Me?" A slender brow rose and she walked over to him, the confusion helped her ease the tears back a bit more. "What do you mean? I haven't been in this place in years, Russel I don't know anything about these computers. Not that I remember."

"It's an eye, voice, and handprint recognition system. It's set up for you." He watched her. "The fingerprints you would've had years ago would still match up as would your voice and eyes. Something new that's suddenly popped up. Looks like your parents counted on you investigating. But that night, the vault was open and then when I came down from the stairs it was locked again...very curious."

"It makes sense to me." She watched his eyes for a moment then moved cautiously towards where she needed to be. She stood still, first placing her fingers on the indicated pads, and then she tried not to blink for a second before she spoke clearly, "Mira Van Helsing." She hoped that's what she needed to say. When it was finished she took a step back for a minute.

A clinking sound could be heard and then the vault door opened. Russel looked about. "You'll be going in alone," He said. "They put a one person limit on it since that theft all those years back. Only your parents could go in together. And while the new system was undergoing the upgrade they could override it."

She looked back to him, watching his eyes. "A'right." Alone? She didn't want to go alone, but if he was right, then no one could go with her. But alone? She turned to look back to the path down before she bit her lower lip then nodded. "Alone. Right." She sighed and then began walking."

"Wait!" He called to her, staying out of range of where he knew the sensor was. "Take this." Russel removed the 9mm that had been clipped to his hip. "Personal weapon of mine. Complete with silver bullets on account of your father." He tossed it to her.

She caught it, and handled it with skill that normal girls like her should never know. She looked up to him a serious tone in her eyes and voice. "Do you know why he asked you to put silver bullets in it?"

"I didn't ask. I just obeyed. That was my job as a guard here. But I'm beginning to believe it has nothing to do with him having been superstitious."

She nodded. "You better start believing in superstitions Russel, otherwise they may come up and bite you." She licked her lips, her voice a bit breathy, and fear was in her last word, "Literally."

She turned then taking in a deep breath then slowly let it out and began her journey into the depths of the abbey.

* * *

Ok, we know we kind of left this at a cliffy. We want to thank all of you who have read the story and commented! It truly does mean a lot to us. Please R&R. 


	4. Bite and Dine

**Disclaimer:** Nope, we still don't own anything but out own characters…which isn't so bad in the long run. Please R&R!

* * *

Russel watched her until she was out of his view and then went back to his locker, which he opened and found a few things in there that hadn't been in there last time he checked - one thing being a shot gun with a blade that came out of the back and now shot silver stakes. The craftsmanship of the weapon was purely Simon. He'd seen him working on it before, but never asked why. He put the butt of the gun to his shoulder, checking the weight, and the sights. _Not a bad piece of equipment,_ he thought. _A bit on the heavy side though._ A flashlight was attached to it and with the flick of his thumb, Russel soon learned that this was no ordinary flashlight, but one specifically designed to shoot out UV rays.

"Holy...Mira wasn't kidding..." He mumbled, taking the weapon and then slinging the strap that was on it across his chest. Russel had also found a journal – the one he'd seen Mary writing in before her untimely death. He guessed it was something left behind for Mira and not him, so he grabbed it, stuffed it into a black messenger bag along with some extra clips for his 9mm as well as the rounds for the shotgun, and then went back to his post outside the vault. Something tightened within his stomach, causing him to start to pace.

When she was scared, she would hum. The girl could actually carry a wonderful tune, but that wasn't the point here. She was humming something soft and happy to keep her from being so afraid. She moved gently, carefully, holding the gun with both hands. She knew there were traps, that's something she was taught and though she had her own code she knew her parents were smarter than that.

She stumbled upon a few of them, but she'd make it to where _His_ coffin had been kept and saw that it had been destroyed along with the restraints inside of it. "_Mira…" _The voice was a whisper. "_The boy is right, you are not alone...we are both with you…"_A chuckle disappeared into the darkness. _He_ was nowhere in there, but she could hear him, just as Mary had been able to.

"Both?" A slender brow rose. _He knows about Russel…but how?_

Though her heart was pounding to get out of her chest and her grip on the gun was a deadly one she tried to keep calm. She began looking around, looking for answers to how _He_ had gotten free, but all the while she kept her wits about her, watching the shadows as much as she could. Mira's blue eyes saw it then, a hole put through the wall. _His_ strength had grown and he'd had a feast when he first woke up, a rather delicious construction worker had been in there finishing up the wall that _He'd_ broken through.

Russel let out a sigh and glanced inside the vault. It wasn't that he was impatient...he was restless now and hoped that she was ok. The knot inside his stomach seemed to be under the control of a vice. _Calm down, Russ. You'll do neither her nor yourself any good if you panic,_ he thought. Releasing a much calmer breath, Russel stopped his pacing.

Mira inspected everything, running her fingers over the hole, glancing to anything dead in there. She moved to the coffin then, glancing around in it, grazing her fingers gently over the restraints before she bit her lower lip. "You bastard."

As Russel continued to wait for her, he shifted the shotgun in his hand, walked the perimeter, and then moved back over to the computer, fingers punching in some keys to view the security camera views from inside. "Damn it," he mumbled as he remembered that the main area within the abbey was not tapped – or at least those at the front desk weren't allowed to look in on it. Another piece of the puzzle fell into place for him then – all the Plan B's that her parents had seen to, they did know what was happening, they'd watched it unfold before their very eyes. _Son of a Bitch._

Russel glanced to the back room where he and Peter had been told to check out a security tape while the other two watched the front. It'd been a ploy to keep him out of harm's way. He hadn't cleaned out his locker due to hoping that he'd be coming back to work at Carfax, but he doubted that was Mira's intention. She seemed to want to be rid of this place and for the first time Russel saw eye-to-eye with her decision. A noise brought Russel out of his thoughts.

"Mira!?" He called out, but received no answer. Russel placed the gun to his shoulder, finger just resting mere centimeters away from the trigger of the shotgun. "Mira!?" He called once again, this time louder. Next thing he knew he heard a laugh, an amused one at that from above, he turned on a heel, eyes searching back and forth for the intruder. Soon he was standing in darkness.

"The power..." Russel looked towards the vault. The door had a back up system; it shut automatically and Mira was still inside. "No. Mira!" He shouted and moved over to the door, which had began to close. He knew his attempts to keep it from shutting were futile, but he'd keep trying anyway. "Mira, get out of there now or you're going to be a permanent resident!" He shouted, his voice echoing in the catacombs of the Abbey. _Where is that back up lighting_, he thought and he continued to fight against the shutting door.

A slender brow rose. She glanced back. Did she just hear something? Ah well. She moved in deeper she had to see if anything else would give it away. More or less seeing if her parents left her any clues to what was going on. Then she heard it and the power went out. Her eyes were wide with fear and she froze where she was. She heard her name echoing down the halls and she turned towards it.

"Russel?" Her eyes were so wide trying desperately to break the darkness that blocked her vision. Then fear took over. "Russel!!" She began to move, but slowly falling and breaking an ankle now wouldn't do well for either of them.

He let out a sound that mimicked that of a growl, as he knuckles turned white from how hard he was fighting against the door. "C'mon!" He yelled, not entirely sure if he was yelling out to the door or to Mira – probably to both. He heard something again; the same sound as before and blue eyes glanced about the darkness. His heartbeat sped up from the adrenaline that was pumping through his system. Then he heard something else and lighting, much like that on the floor of an airplane, came on and illuminated the inside of the Abbey.

Which meant that Mira was free to run for her life now and that she did. The girl was an athlete and she ran faster than she was able to. The gun was still in her hand, her index finger gently resting on the trigger despite the rest of those digits grabbing it. She didn't know what was going on, why the lights came on, or anything but she was making her way to him and once she saw Russel struggling she tried to push herself faster.

When he caught sight of her, he felt a small bit of relief flow through him, but they weren't out of the woods yet...but she was so close to being out. "Not to pressure you are anything, but you think you could hur... oomph!"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence as a force came from behind, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and threw him into the wall, which he slumped against, blacking out. The gun had been thrown out of his hands, but he still had the duffle bag about him.

"Russel!!" Mira called out, not trying to mask her fear or concern when she witnessed him being moved away from the door clearly against his will. She pushed herself and soon she was only a few steps from the door then she jumped pushing herself through the closing door, rolling just a bit in her landing before she grunted and slid to a halt. She didn't move towards Russel, not yet. She stopped immediately and stood up, gripping the gun in both hands and began glancing around. _We're not alone._

* * *

What will happen to Russel and Mira? Who are their mystery guests? Stay tuned to find out... 


	5. Unwelcome Guests

**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own anything save for our own characters.

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Russel let out a groan as he began to come to, pain shooting through his head and neck. _Son of a bitch._ "What the hell hap…"

"Shhh!" came the harsh whisper from Mira. "There's someone else here."

Her words quickly snapped Russel back into reality – or as much of the reality he knew was left. Although as he rubbed the back of his neck and began to make his way towards his discarded weapon, Russel felt relief run through him. _Thank God she made it out._ He glanced around. _Now what the fuck grabbed me?_ The question ran through his mind just as the sound from earlier multiplied, causing both of them to freeze momentarily and his fingers were but a hairsbreadth from the shotgun.

"When this starts it's going to go fast. Act on instinct," Mira said, looking over her shoulder to him. "And keep your senses about you."

Russel gave an affirmative nod. "Right."

A chuckle floated down from above them. "And here you told me Simon and Mary weren't into anything more than antiques!"

_I know that voice,_ Russel thought as his hand wrapped around the muzzle of the gun. _But…it can't be… _"Peter?" Russel asked. Movement at the front desk caught the two's attention and both stood, each one letting a round fly just as the lights turned on.

"You lied to me, Russ!" Came Peter's voice from behind; Russel turned on a heel. "And that just isn't nice…"

"But you're dead."

A sinister smile formed on his friend's lips. "No, my friend, we are very much alive...in a manner of speaking. And we're thirsty…" Other chuckles sounded. "How 'bout a drink?"

His finger rested mere inches from the trigger. Russel was about to let another round fly when Peter gripped the muzzle in a vice like hold and crushed it. Thinking quickly, his finger moved to the flashlight on the gun and flipped on the UV light, a howl of pain rising from Peter.

"How's that for a snack?" The question was followed up with a strong kick to Peter's chest, which only moved the vampire back a few feet. But he knew at this moment he had no reason to be picky or dwell on the fact that a few feet was all he was going to get. The gun was no good, at least not for shooting, but Russel still kept it in one of his hands.

"Fucker!" Peter growled out, lunging, not at Russel, but at Mira and took a strong hold of her. "Perhaps your friend will be more willing!"

She didn't run, she didn't scream. Yes she was scared, but the more you screamed, you ran, the more the unded bastards liked it. She just stood very still, eyes watching Russel intently. She had no choice but to rely on him now. "Never you vermin!"

Peter smirked, ignoring her comment. "That's right. You can't hurt me, or Luke, or Adam. You know us. We're friends. And you certainly wouldn't hurt such a pretty thing like her…" A finger with a very long fingernail reached out, stroking the side of her cheek, a thin red line following it. "You're no killer, Russel."

"Tch," She said with a smirk and very slowly moved her foot out to where her discarded gun laid. Her eyes glanced down briefly and when Russel's fingers twitched she knew she'd gotten her message across. "I don't know any of you bastards of hell. I'll be glad to turn you to dust!"

"I think she's turning you down on you're offer, Pete," He said. Timing, timing was everything. As he met Mira's gaze a silent message passed between them. _Not long now._ He took a step towards them.

"Uh, uh…I wouldn't take that risk…"

Mira let a single laugh escape her. "I would."

At that moment she kicked the gun towards Russel, who she was impressed to see move quickly and with a fluid motion send off bullets in the direction of her captor. When she felt the vampire's hold on her loosen the slightest bit, she used all her might to free herself from the hold, and came to stand beside Russel. She took her gun from him when she saw his former friend turn to dust.

"Good job."

"Not done yet. One down, two to go."

Luke and Adam stepped out of the shadows. "Come on, Love…let's see why _He_ wants you so badly, hmm?"

"I don't think _He_ would like it if you tasted his prize," Mira countered.

"We'll see." With a roar the two came at them. Russel grabbed the shotgun, took out the blade that was hidden in the butt of it, and went for Luke. These were hardly the people he once knew; hardly something he could care about.

"Don't even think about it," Russel said but only received a mocking laugh in return.

Mira glared at the vampire that swung at her, dodging the attack and firing off her weapon. Adam jumped upwards, over her, and didn't hesitate to kick her feet out from under her. He climbed on top of her.

"There'll be more of us…you can't stop that…" Adam said, trying his best to move down closer to her neck."_He _won't allow it."

She grunted lightly. Her knees ached and she moved her hands to try and push him away "Get off of me!!" She growled in frustration pushing hard against him. "Get the hell off of me!"

Russel's hand firmly grasped the coat that Luke wore and he watched as the blade went through his neck before he was left with nothing but another pile of ash. "No hard feelings."

"Russel!" Mira called then grunted again. She was losing against Adam. She wasn't an idiot, she knew that a human could only last so long against a vampire's strength. The sound of quick footsteps and the look that formed on Adam's face told her that he'd come to her rescue – again. Yet there he stood, holding his hand out to her with an expression on his face that would've better suited someone who was helping a person who'd simply slipped. She had vamp dust on her. Wiping her face lightly, Mira just looked at him and because he didn't freak out at what they were she knew she could in fact trust him - a task which wasn't easily accomplished. She nodded after taking his hand and standing up.

"It's almost like the stories. Silver, steak through the heart, cut off their heads, burn them, crosses, just no hesitation." She watched his eyes then. Before she moved to go get the gun he gave her.

"I take it garlic isn't their friend either?" He said, his tone joking but he continued to scan the room looking for anyone else. When he saw that she was once again armed, he said, "Back to back. That way we both can cover each other..."

She nodded and moved. "Garlic wouldn't hurt but I don't know how much it would help." She pressed her back to his for a moment. Just taking in the comfort before she separated herself enough to be able to move around. "We need to get out of here…"

"I agree, but we leave without dusting any others and we've got a possible tail on us once we do leave." He had to admit, when he felt her press her back against his, he did like the feel. But he'd shaken off the feeling quickly; knowing there was something more important to focus on now. "Adam mentioned more, but there's no guarantee they'd be here...You see anything?" He asked after a few moments of silence had passed between them.

"Nothing." She answered, but she had her eyes closed. She knew her mother could feel _Him_ in her mind when she slept. So Mira tried to tap into that, tap into that small connection not to _Him_, but to _His_ children, to see, well to feel if anyone else was around at all. Her whole body was so relaxed that if she would have been attacked right then she wouldn't have time to react. "Not yet."

"Well let's not stick around to find out, huh? Slowly move towards the door," he ordered, glancing to her. "If they'd go anywhere, they'd go to my flat. Guess they'd figure that I'd find it to be a good safe house…" He paused. "And they'd be right."

"We need to get to the car, and go somewhere else tonight until I can arrange more." She licked her lips. "We'll be safe in the day."

"All right. Let's go."

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Thanks to all the reviewers! You guys rock! 


	6. Grievances

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own anything save for our own characters. Please R&R!­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

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Judas lifted his head up and away from the sweet crimson nectar that flowed from a twenty some odd year old woman he'd lured out of one of the many underground clubs in London and hissed in disdain. He could feel it, the destruction of his own kind, of those he created. Three of them lost already to _her_. Blood red eyes scanned the dark alleyway, making sure that he was in fact alone, save for the woman who laid limply within his strong arms. Taking in a breath, he closed his eyes and used his power, his connection to Mary's daughter through blood to see what had happened.

As his mind searched the memories of Mira's, he could feel her fighting against him. A chuckle escaped him. _As resistant as her mother was, but that will change,_ he thought. Digging deeper within Mira's mind he finally found that she had an ally. He felt his lips curl into a snarl. A young man, tall, brown haired, blue-eyed, and just as strong-willed as she. A wave a familiarity washed over Judas and he opened his eyes, letting out a hearty laugh. He'd knew that she'd be accompanied by whoever had been left of Simon's men, but to have an old nemesis be the one…it was too good to be true.

"Harker, you devil. I knew we'd meet again," he said then looked back down to his meal. He'd need all the children he could if he was going to succeed and so he continued his meal. After all, she could be useful to him where Harker was concerned.

* * *

Russel had kept his guard up until they had exited the parking garage and were driving through the streets of London. It was during that time of silence that'd came between him that his brain had begun to process what had occurred at Carfax Abbey. A work of fiction had become a reality, three of his good friends had risen from the dead and come to kill them, and here he was in the midst of it, of a world some part of him had always knew existed but reason had dictated otherwise. With a deep sigh, he looked over to Mira who sat in the passenger's seat as calm and collected as he'd ever seen someone after the happenings they'd just survived. Then again, it was obvious she'd been trained for the day this occurred.

"The black duffel bag," He said, breaking the silence as his hand reached behind her seat, taking hold of it and then he handed it to her. "Within it you'll find spare magazines for the gun I gave you and your mother's journal. I found that along with the gun in my locker tonight." Blue eyes looked to her. "Those things hadn't been there last I checked."

Mira met his gaze as she hugged the duffel bag close to herself before a soft sigh escaped her. "Just find a hotel. It doesn't matter what the cost is," she said simply before she turned her gaze out the window. "I'll look over the contents of the journal once we're settled."

_Whatever you say, Buffy,_ Russel thought to himself, doubting that Mira would find the pop culture reference hardly funny at a time like this, but he did grace her with an affirmative nod, even if she didn't see it. Russel took her to the most expensive hotel he could find that still kept them within a close proximity of Carfax, knowing that they'd have to journey back there sooner or later. The hotel was over staffed, filled with people, and one of the busiest, which meant that _He_ – whoever he was – would have to have a lot of guts to try something. After losing comrades at Carfax, Russel guessed he wouldn't try such a thing so soon. He got them a one bedroom, knowing that he'd be on guard duty for the night.

Once alone inside the secure hotel room, Russel took a seat in a chair and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "So this _He_, who is _He_ exactly?"

She wouldn't look at him as she spoke, instead she went through her own bag pulling out a set of pajamas and moving towards the bathroom, but she still spoke loud enough so he could hear her. "The Prince of all Darkness, Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Christ himself." She sighed and once she came out she looked to him. "But you all know him as Dracula." She had on a dark tank top and some very soft, thick baby blue pajama pants. Her hair was braided gently. "The one and only Dracula."

"Dracula," He repeated a hint of skepticism in his tone but then he let out a sigh. "Sure, why not? After what I've seen tonight who am I to doubt you?" Russel ran a hand through his hair then rubbed his neck, which was still sore from the hit he'd taken. "Why does Dracula want you?"

She just looked up to him, watching him closely. She didn't mind telling him what was after them, but as for that secret. That was her burden to bear for now. She shrugged gently. "I don't know."

"I don't believe you. You're lying to me," Russel stated plainly, watching her just as closely as she watched him. He was no fool. "You were sent away to be safe from...Dracula. Surely your parents told you why since it seems they gave you in "Vanquishing Vampires 101"."

"Fine." She closed her eyes. "I do know." Mira looked up to him then narrowed her eyes. "But I won't tell you." She moved towards her bag once more and began to dig through it frantically. She didn't know where her necklace was and it bothered her. "That part I choose to keep a secret."

"Secrets. Your family was full of them..." His tone came out harsher than he had intended and he took a seat on the corner of one side of the bed. Placing his head in his hands, before running them over his face then through his hair. "I can't protect you if I don't know why it is I'm supposed to be protecting you from _Him_, Mira."

"Then don't protect me!" She turned on him suddenly. Yes, her family was full of secrets because they needed to be. But the way he said it had made her upset. "Run away for all I care, I can protect myself!" She moved hastily towards the door then. "I'm getting another room. You're on your own, Harker."

"Wait..." He said, standing up quickly and a hand shot out to grab hers. "Mira, I'm sorry. You've known this all your life. I've just found all this out within a matter of a couple hours..."

She looked down to their hands for a moment before looking up to him, her eyes held so much passion, heat...tears. "Then learn to forget it. You don't need to be apart of this."

"But I am apart of it. I've told you. I made a promise to your father and I'll not leave you to fight this alone." He slowly brought her closer to him, his eyes watching hers. "I won't let you do this alone." His sincerity showed not only in his tone but also in his eyes.

She watched him a moment, before something took over. The fear, the pain of losing her parents and knowing the deadliest thing alive – or more correctly dead – was after her, it was too much. She suddenly felt weak and then actually collapsed against him, burying her face against his chest. After a moment, his shirt began to become a bit moist, her shoulders starting to shake with the tears she'd held back.

He hardly minded. Russel knew that she'd been acting strong and when she did collapse against him finally, his arms wrapped around her. He said nothing at first because he did not know what to say, but he did know she needed this release. Her head rested just under his chin and in an unconscious move he pressed a kiss to her hair.

She stayed the way she was until she fell silent, until the tears finally ran dry, and how long that was Mira did not know. She sniffled a little bit before she moved a bit back from him. Her hands balled into soft fists as she rubbed her eyes gently before looking up to him

He watched her and offered her a soft, understanding smile before a hand reached out to wipe away a tear on her cheek. A touch she leaned into, yearned for at that moment.

"You don't have to be strong all the time around me, Mira," He said gently.

She watched his eyes. Her own sparkling blues searching for something, for strength, comfort, for a promise, a promise that everything would be all right, but she knew that promise couldn't happen. She shook her head, hiccuping back a small sob. "I have to be strong all the time now. No one else can do it for me."

"You have me, Mira. We're a team now. We can give each other strength."

She gave a small nod then moved away from him and over to the window, opening it just a bit, needing to feel the chill of the night air to bring her back to her senses.

"Just curious, but if Luke, Adam, and Pete turned...does that mean that your parents...?" He let the sentence trail off. From what he knew of vampires - or at least what the cinema had taught him - vampires could both kill and turn. Russel was just praying that Simon and Mary hadn't been turned.

She placed her hand on the windowsill and leaned out a little bit. The cool air causing a soft chill to run through her body, Goosebumps raising the hair on her arms. "They would end up being stronger than your friends. Especially my mother." She shrugged. "We'll have to get prepared tomorrow during the day, we must be ready for anything."

"We could confirm our suspicions of who's stayed dead and who were turned by taking a trip to the morgue come tomorrow. I'm guessing that it might be better if we find out that the bodies are missing before the Mortion does."

She looked over her shoulder: "You need to read up on your Vampirology." A smirk curled to her lips. "Not every vampire rises after they are bitten, some take longer." She shrugged. "Even if we see them there, we will have to finalize it." She turned away once more, her voice a bit distant. "To be absolutely sure the old texts say to carve out their hearts, cut off their heads, and burn those parts including their body. Then taking the ashes from the head, the heart, and body spread them through running water separately."

"Right, well, I'll be sure to go to the local library and see if they have "Vampires for Dummies" in and study it." He couldn't help the sarcasm in his tone.

She narrowed her eyes, her hands gripping the windowsill tightly. "Take it seriously, or get lost Russel." She turned to face him. "Starting tomorrow morning, it's war."

"Mira, c'mon, I know that you've been preparing for this for a good portion of your life, and yeah, it is war. But I've learned in my life that you can't lose your sense of humor." He gave her a sheepish smile. "Or at least let me have my coping mechanisms for now."

She shook her head slowly. "Keep it to yourself then. Get some rest, you'll need it." She reached behind her and pulled the window shut. She really didn't give him much else to say as she settled herself into bed, slipping beneath the covers. She leaned over to flick the light off, not waiting for him to get ready. But once the silence of their semi-resting bodies filled the air, she called out gently. "Russel?"

"Yeah?" He replied, shifting slightly, having taking up post in a chair, with his hand resting on the butt of the shotgun.

"How exactly did you meet my father? I mean, you're an American. How'd you get here?"

Russel swallowed hard. "It's a long story."

"Tell me anyway."

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Thank you to all the reviewers! You guys rock and we're glad you are enjoying our story! 


	7. Past Nightmares Becoming All Too Real

**Disclaimer: Same ol' same ol'…only own our characters. Please R&R.**

* * *

Russel was silent for a moment then let out a deep sigh. "I was abandoned by my parents when I was only a few months old. They left me on the stoop of some place with a piece of paper that only had my name on it." He shifted in his seat a bit. "I spent the first five years of my life on the street, raised by a Meth junkie and her boyfriend who used me to get money to feed their addictions before both got arrested and I was taken into the system. From then on I was bounced around from foster home to foster home and ran away whenever I could. I earned myself plenty of stints in Juvi for petty theft and then upgraded to popping cars by the time I was in high school. I was good at it though." He cleared his throat. "After I graduated school I got an offer to come over here and be a wheelman for a notorious car thief. The pay was going to be good so I agreed. On the third job I pulled someone got sloppy and the cops pursued us..." His voice had gone distant. "The car I'd stolen crashed and I was hurt bad. Managed to get out of it before the cops came. Forced myself to walk as far as I could before passing out on the stoop at Carfax. Next thing I knew I woke up in a nice room, your mother and father hovering over me." Another sigh escaped him. "The rest is history."

She wanted to sympathize with him. He didn't really have much of a choice in where he came from and how his life was laid out. But to her, that seemed like a blessing. He had once been so free to do as he pleased and yet it seemed he used his skills for evil as it were. Her on the other hand, her life wasn't normal either. She never had the freedom to get into trouble; she never could just be a kid or even a college student. She was always studying ancient history, weaponry things like that. She sighed

"Good thing you wound up on my fathers steps." She rolled over then to lie on her back. "Too bad you couldn't see the future though."

"Future isn't so bad." He replied, glancing over to her. "Not what I expected, but then again, nothing ever has been."

A slow, sad smile curled to her lips. Her hand reached for her neck. Closing her eyes she remembered her necklace was gone. "Trust me, it's going to be grim. Even if he manages to win someone's going to die."

"Yeah _He_ is." Russel watched her. "What are you looking for?" The dim light in the room was enough for him to see where her hand had reached up to. "Why do you keep grasping at your neck?"

Her voice seemed distant. She kept her eyes closed for a moment before she slowly opened her eyes to stare up at the darkness known as the ceiling. "My necklace. My mother gave it to me. She said it would keep me safe. The day I found out about them…it broke for some reason and I couldn't find it."

"Huh." He said, watching her and finding that fact rather odd. "So you got my background. How 'bout returning the favor? I mean, what was your life like knowing...all this?"

She looked over to him as her hand fell to her side. She then slowly rolled over curving her pillow to rest under her face and bringing her blankets up to her chest. "How would you like it as a little kid, wondering if the monsters under your bed are real? Scared. Asking your mommy to make them going away only to be taught they are very real and very dangerous."

He sighed. "There's all types of monsters. I saw my fair share on the human side of the spectrum. I know what it's like in a sense. At least you had someone around who wasn't one of those monsters..."

She shook her head. "Maybe." She sighed. "Don't stand guard no one will come to us. Just get rest." She curved the blankets tighter over her body.

"Rest, yeah, easy for you to say. You've got the comfy bed," He said then shifted in the seat again.

She sighed. "Don't be a baby. Sleep on the bed. Just...don't touch me." She had always slept alone. Even as a child, it was meant to make her brave, to not be afraid of her imagination and things that go bump in the night

He smiled then moved out of the chair. He placed the shotgun at his side of it then stripped off his shirt and kicked off his shoes, getting comfortable. Although there was a rather large bruise forming on his shoulder blade where he'd taken a hit and various other scars were on his otherwise toned and defined body.

"Thanks," He said coming to lie on his back; one had propping up his head on the pillow.

She shrugged within the covers, trying to ignore the fact of the sudden warmth she could feel behind her. "It's just a bed. Just go to sleep."

He was silent for a moment before he glanced over to her. "Hey, Mira? Is it just me, or does it seem a bit odd that all of our names are linked in a work of fiction, which I guess was in fact the truth." He said. "Dracula. Van Helsing. Harker. I'm guessing not just a coincidence, right?"

"No." Her voice was soft, but though it dragged on with sleep right behind there was a profound knowledge pulling through as well. "It's not just a coincidence".

"Well, at least I'm in the right place at the right time for once in my life," He mumbled then shifted and soon his steady breathing was in the only sound in the room.

She fell asleep, but only for what would seem half an hour before her body woke her up. He was asleep next to her when she slowly sat up and slipped the covers off of her to move gently towards the black bag. She dug around for a moment before finding the journal. She moved towards the windowsill, sitting beside it and began to read.

Though he was asleep, his brain registered movement and the loss of heat beside him led him to the obvious conclusion that she had gotten up. Some part tried to rouse himself from his slumber, saying that if he was to protect her he should at least check on where she'd gone off to, but instead something pulled him back...something dark...and familiar - the dream. That one dream that he could never finish. He let out a light groan, head tossing before he settled. It was only the beginning though.

She looked up to him when he groaned, but then she saw him settle down so that she could continue reading. Some of what her mother wrote were memories, of her as a child, of how she met her father...birthdays…but in the middle the memories stopped and a warning was placed. A warning stating this journal would be given to her after her mother's death. Then it went with a story of the past...of the first appearance of Dracula…The Harker's…and Van Helsing's and their connection.

_The Victorian Era he'd found himself in every dream had been washed away to present day, an abandoned warehouse. A conversation playing out between two men, both familiar. It was then that Russel realized that he stood, arms bound behind him, in front of Him, the one to cause all this. _

"_You'll never find her and I'll never tell you..." _

"_You foolish boy. I can take it from you. I can take your memories, your life, and just heighten my connection to her." _

"_You'll never have her." _

"_You cannot erase your memories..." _

"_I can try," Russel's answer had sealed his fate and Dracula plunged his sharp teeth into his neck, the pain radiating through the dream into the real world, causing a sweat to break out across Russel's brow. In the dream, however, he slouched against a beam, blood still flowing from his neck. _

"_I'll not kill you. That is what you want. Instead I'll leave you to turn and when she finds you..." He chuckled. You won't be able to resist her sweet blood."_

"You're wrong..." The answer resonated in both worlds.

She put the journal down. Her eyes were watering but she was ignoring what her mother had written her. She finally knew now. She knew everything…every piece, just not how to kill Dracula and make him stay dead. She moved over to the bed when Russel's dream began to move him more. A slender brow rose when he spoke out loud, but curiosity…anger towards fate lead her to not wake him just yet, but sympathy won. She reached over her hands on his shoulders and shook him gently.

"Harker...wake up...Russel, wake up."

He didn't wake right away but when he did, he sat straight up, eyes darting about, breath ragged.

She reached her arms around him harshly, quickly and pressed his back against her chest. Her hand moved to rest atop his chest and then began breathing in and out slowly. "Follow my breath, calm down. It's just a bad dream."

He was a tad bit surprised when she did this, but did as she said and soon found himself much calmer than before. He raked a hand through his sweat sodden hair before looking to her, noticing that she'd been crying. "Everything all right?"

"I should be asking you that. Some dream." She let go of him once he had calmed himself. Slowly she moved her hands away and then scooted back to the edge of the bed. "What was it about?"

"_Him,_" He said, looking to her before looking down to the covers. "I've been having this dream for month where I meet him in an alleyway...here in London, only it's like back in the 1800's or something. This time though, it flashed to now..." His brows furrowed a bit. "He wanted you, but I wouldn't tell him...he bit me...turned me..." Russel swallowed. "_He _left me there to wait until you came and I'd already been consumed by the need for blood..." He looked to her briefly before looking away. He'd be damned if he'd let that happen.

"It might be a past memory." She looked up to him. "I wouldn't fall for that. I'd kill you first." She watched his eyes, but it wasn't meant as something mean. It was to let him know more than letting him bite her she wouldn't let him live as one of them

He nodded, looking her way then took notice of the journal. "So, what'd you learn?" He asked motioning with his chin to the still open book. "Anything of use?"

"It's just a diary." She looked to the journal, then moved towards it before closing it and tossing it into the bag.

"How come I'm sensing that you're lying to me again?" Russel asked, watching her as she did so. "Surely your mother must've put in something. An explanation...perhaps about why I'm the one here helping you...the name thing...all she did was research and write in there, I saw her."

"It's just a diary. Stories of things…old fables about Dracula, it's nothing special." Mira looked up to him with a hard glare, she wouldn't say. Fate wasn't written out for them, and she refused to believe that its been played out so many times that it'd happen this time too.

"Ok," He said, his tone still holding a bit of disbelief before he moved to lie back down, getting comfortable once more.

She went to a small pack inside the bag, and then a second later she was tossing him a bottle. "I have trouble sleeping sometimes, it'll make the dreams go away."

He looked at it then looked to her. "So, what, you choose not to dream? Thanks, but no thanks. That dream won't come again. Once every week or so I get it. Tonight was its night to show itself..".

She looked up to him, a sad smile curled to her lips. "I don't think it was just your ordinary dream. _He_ will make them come. _He_ will make it worse I am sure." She shrugged. "Take it tonight."

He was going to argue but instead popped the top and then took one of the pills before handing the bottle back to her. "We'll see."


	8. Fate vs Will

**A/N:** Nope, still don't own anything but our own characters…

Sorry about the delay in posting up a new chapter. Holidays & birthdays run close together in my family. Anyway, hope you like it! Please R&R!

* * *

When the morning light hit her she groaned gently and slowly sat up. Softly stretching, she glanced out the window then to her watch; it was just dawn and she was wide-awake. She moved towards the bathroom, shutting the door a bit before flicking on the shower. It was routine, no matter where she was staying.

Russel on the other hand was still sleeping soundly and shifted lightly when she moved out of the bed. The dream hadn't come back to him that night thanks to the pill she'd given him and so he'd taken advantage of a restful sleep. His hand flopped over onto the other side of the mattress and when it found that no one was there, he began to wake. With a wide yawn he sat up and looked around the room before getting up and stretching as well.

The shower's steam poured from the cracks of the slightly open bathroom door, but she was hidden behind the distorted shower curtain. Hot water always relaxed her, woke her up and made her ready. She took her time. She needed it.

In the shower, she still cried. She'd done it ever since her parents had died a few days ago, whether she sobbed, or just a few tears melted into the steamy water, she still cried. Once she was finished she'd changed and gotten ready in the bathroom. She came out with jeans and a long sleeve dark blue top on; her hair was wet, stringy, curly and curved around her face.

"You're awake," she said, a small smile crossing her lips.

"Yeah. Morning," He said, offering her a smile. "Well now that someone's freed up the shower..." His tone had turned teasing. "I think I'll take one myself. Wish I could drop by my flat and pick up some new clothes though."

"We can get your clothes later. We need to go back and see all the damage that's been done while its daylight." She stepped aside from the door then and shrugged lightly. "Hurry?"

"This coming from the person who took an hour in here!" He called to her, leaving the door cracked open as well, and the water was running. "I never thought I'd be so happy to be up at dawn in my life!"

She shook her head, eyes turning heavenward. "You can relax later. We need all the daylight we have." A smirk though still held to her soft lips as she kept talking. "You should learn to get up before the sun rises, Harker."

"Believe me, I think after everything I will," He said then laughed. He was quick in the shower though and walked out to at least grab his shirt and shoes, which were still on the floor of the bedroom, in one of the white towels, drops of water rolling down his skin.

She was repacking her bag, still looking for the same necklace. It had to be in some of her stuff, somewhere. But when he came out, she only glanced up for a moment then suddenly when she caught that glimpse of him she stopped. Her eyes lifted a bit higher to get the fuller image, watching him get his things in the towel, curiously mesmerized.

He whistled as he did then felt a pair of eyes on him. He did nothing to give away that he knew she was watching him though, keeping cool and keeping the smile that wanted to cross his lips under control.

"So, you got a bunker or something around the city with extra weapons? A safe house of sorts?" He asked, glancing to her with a brow perked briefly.

By the time he glanced to her, her back was turned and the bag was tossed over her shoulder. "No." She looked towards him. "But my parents place was full of old weapons, surely they must have saved something..."

"P.D. took everything. And when I say everything I mean everything." He sighed then walked back into the bathroom. "But I'm sure we should be able to scrounge something up..."

There was a soft smile to her lips and she shook her head. "Trust me, they did not and could not have taken everything." She licked her lips. "That place has more secrets than the labyrinth has dead ends."

"Oh, I believe you." Russel said, walking out of the bathroom now fully clothed and with a crooked smile on his lips. He walked over to where the shotgun was and threw it in his own duffle bag. "All right, let's get going."

She nodded. Watching him for a moment before she turned and began leaving the hotel room down to the front desk, and out the door. She sighed looking around, "Lets just walk."

"Walk?" He said as if he'd never heard of the concept. "We have a car and if we need to make a quick escape for some odd reason a car is handy."

"Why would a vampire hunt us during the day?" She looked to him then sighed. "Get the car then."

He shrugged then went and got the car. Hey, for all he knew Dracula had plain old humans working for him. He drove up to the curb and then waited for her to get and once she did, off to Carfax they went.

* * *

For once when they sat in the car going back, she spoke but never looked to him.

'Why are you doing this?" A slender brow rose for a moment then before she turned and looked to him.

"I already told you," He said then sighed lightly. "I made a promise. I keep my word. It's that simple."

"It's not that simple. You're risking your very life for someone you don't know." She watched his eyes, even while he watched the road. "You don't know me. Why are you here?"

"Ever think that I may want to get to know you? Besides I have a duty to you, to...all of this in some way. Weren't you the one who said it wasn't a coincidence?" He glanced to her.

"Stories, fate..." She narrowed her eyes. "I wont let anyone, or anything lay out my life for me. I'll choose the path on my own."

"And yet here you are, doing your own duty. Face it, no matter what, the Fates have a way of getting us to go down a path that's always been laid before us but hasn't been very clear." He sighed lightly.

"No." She shook her head. "No. I am doing this so I won't die, if you leave me alone_ He_ won't bother you, _He _wont come after you. There wont be any reason to."

"You're hell bent on trying to get me to change my mind, aren't you?"

"Yes." She watched his eyes. Then her voice turned soft…gentle...almost caring. "Yes, Russell Harker, and I will."

"You won't." He said, his eyes searching hers. "I promised your father I wouldn't allow any harm to come to you and I meant that."

"My father is dead!" She turned on him now, well the best she could in the car. "Both of them are dead! Even worse, we may have to kill them again, that promise you made means nothing! Give it up, you can't be a hero."

"I'm not trying to be a hero. I'm trying to do the right thing. And I've spent years hearing about you...how much you meant to them..." His voice got a little softer as he looked back to the road. "How much a name began to mean to me..."

She waited a minute. Then licked her lips slowly before she was careful to phrase her next question, but she wanted to desperately to push him away. "H-how...much...what?"

"Your father gave me a picture of you once," He said, not looking to her. "It was an older one according to him. I guess the more they talked about you the more I began to care...that's why agreeing to your father's wish wasn't a hard decision...I was already invested in...you in some way..." He cleared his throat before he sighed. "That's why I'm not going anywhere."

She licked her lips then shook her head. "You fell in love with a sob story. My parents didn't know me." She looked away, biting her lower lip speaking softly, "Your dream may not just be a dream. After we examine Carfax you need to leave. Go back to America."

"Forget it, Mira. You can try to push me away all you want, but it's not going to work. Why do you care what happens to me, huh?" He asked, looking to her with raised brows.

"Because you are innocent." She licked her lips for a moment then shook her head. "Innocent to me. You are my parent's friend, I won't let you die because you wanted to keep a silly promise."

"I am capable of living through this, Mira. I'm not helpless and I damn sure learn quick."

She shook her head. "You are helpless. Without me you are very helpless."

"Then teach me. Like I said, I'm a fast learner," He said in all seriousness and soon they were parked outside of Carfax. She immediately got out of the car and slammed the door, then stormed up the stairs before hesitating and then she waited. He was the only one that could get into Carfax. "Face it, whether you like it or not, you need me." He slid in his card and waited for the door to unlock and let them inside.

She suddenly moved in. She was inches from him, her face inches from his. Her hands slid over his shoulders. She watched his eyes. "Russel.. I..." She bit her lower lip, those soft petals hovering over his. A moment later she snatched the card from him. She would still need him for other things, but she'd back off before entering Carfax.

He'd felt his heart start to race when she moved forward but the moment she snatched his card and moved inside, he let out a frustrated growl. "Damnit! You know, I don't even really know you and I trust you. What's it going to take for me to completely earn your trust, aside from dusting vamps - who were once my only friends - with you last night, hmm?"

"You can make new friends." She turned towards him, slipping his card into her front pocket, easier to pay attention to. She was being cold for a reason. She licked her lips before she turned to face him. "I don't trust anyone."

"Funny, last night said different. If you wouldn't have trusted me in some way then you would've done all the fighting and been pushing me to the sidelines."

"I never said I didn't need help." She crossed her arms over her chest then. "I needed help, and you helped me. That doesn't mean I trusted you. You need to go back home."

"Not happening. So stop trying," He said, watching her in the eyes, not backing down.

"I won't stop trying." She glared in return, her eyes easily meeting his. "I won't fall into fates hands."

"You may not have a choice," He said, following after Mira as they made their way up to the upper level of Carfax.

"I will." She slammed her hand against the wall nearest her and stopped, her fingers against the wall slowly curved into a fist and pushed more against the wall. "I will not let this be my destiny! I do have a choice." She glanced toward him and narrowed her eyes. "I will not let this rule me!"

"And what about this kind of will?" He asked, pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss.


End file.
